Lines We Trace

[lineswetrace]

Whoohoo... excited to finally see this project taking shape! #srilanka

[lineswetrace]

New Post has been published on http://www.lineswetrace.com/update-shanghai-lane-house-project/

UPDATE: Shanghai Lane House Project

Finally, I have an update on my lane house renovation project! We’ve experience all of the normal delays due to the holidays, design changes, and budget changes. But the BIG hold up was with the neighbor. He didn’t allow us to put up the scaffolding for the structure and facade work. Granted the scaffolding would partially be in his yard, however, since the neighbor’s backyard wall IS also the structure wall of the lane house, it was the only way we could move forward with the project.

  Through a lot of “Chinese government style ” negotiations… sending a very pregnant, very quick-witted Shanghainese negotiator, giving the usual gifts of cigarettes, fruit, baijiu (Chinese liquor) and of course slipping several hongbao (literally meaning red pocket, not so subtlety meaning cash)… we were finally able to start working on the structure last week!

Now commences the weekly site visits. I love site visits because I love to see the construction process unfolding. I know it doesn’t seem like much progress to the untrained eye in these photos, but with the structure work underway, I can finally see changes happening and the space opening up, which is always a motivating and rewarding feeling for a designer.

  Feeling the good vibes of this progress, I’ll toss out a sneak peak rendering of the kitchen and dining room. The photo on the right is the same perspective as the rendering. Still lots of work to do!

[lineswetrace]

Slimming down for 2014! LinesWeTrace will now be combined with my personal account. Don't worry more architecture and design post to continue there, as well as Lineswetrace blog updates. See you @ashreta

[lineswetrace]

New Project... New Post. Don't worry these are the before pics! Check out the rest of the pics at the blog. www.lineswetrace.com

[lineswetrace]

New Project...New Post! http://www.lineswetrace.com/new-project-lane-house-renovation/

New Project: Lane House Renovation

        It’s new project time! It’s always satisfying finishing up a project. I love putting that check mark by the final task in my project To-Do list. But the real excitement is in what lies ahead… I’m always looking forward to my next fix! And the next one up to bat for me is a 300sqm (3230sqft) turn-key lane house renovation in the heart of Shanghai’s Former French Concession. The clients are a really interesting and adventurous couple. Since they are return clients, I know what I’m in for and I’m in for a fun and creative time. I was really happy with the result of the last project (and pretty sure they were too), my enthusiasm has doubled.

Also, coming from a light-hearted and fresh restaurant project (pictures on the way) and a modern villa renovation out in Kunshan, this lane house brings a refreshing change of pace.

To start with, I was lucky enough to get a copy of the original plans circa 1903!! However, I really don’t think the house was actually built until the late 1930s based on the detailing and materials used, but I can’t know for sure because there’s no further documentation available.

  I’m basing my assumption on the fact that the doors aren’t solid, there’s no parquet flooring, terrazzo and tile patterns are basic, and just an overall lack of ornate detailing that would be found in earlier homes.Changes to simpler detailing can be seen in buildings during this time period because the Japanese were starting to take over Shanghai. The quality of design and construction started to go down, as did the quantity of expatriates, and so the money to do high-end projects disappeared. This also could explain the mysterious lack of building records for this house. The Japanese did little or no record keeping during their occupation of Shanghai.

But I digress.

What is AMAZING about this house is that it was almost exactly like the original plans, even though for the past 70+ years at least four families squeezed themselves inside this place at the same time. While the materials and detail might not be as exquisite as the homes built early on in Shanghai, everything was still intact. Original plumbing, tiling, hardware, windows and even some hand painted stenciled wall details.

        What is SUPER SAD about this house is that almost none of the interior is actually salvageable! Since no one was properly taking care of it for those 70+ years, the effects of time and abuse of living are irreversible at this point. I’ve always had a bit of a problem with Shanghai and how the preservation of heritage architecture is done. To rant for a moment…Shanghai during the early 20th century was filled with amazing architecture and interiors, but now, more often than not, they are a decrepit mess or just plain leveled for another high-rise or shopping mall. That all said, while I will do my best to upcycle what materials I can for this project, there’s going to be more waste and lot less restoration than I would have liked.

But there are still some rays of light! I’m in the midst of demolition, and am seeing dropped ceilings come down, hiding 5 meter high ceilings with solid wood beams. I’m seeing the rustically beautiful hand-made Suzhou brick become exposed. I’m seeing walls go down and a lot of creative opportunities coming up!

[lineswetrace]

Workin' the yellow trace.

[lineswetrace]

And the revealing begin!

[lineswetrace]

Preping sample boards, with labels and all! Feels like I'm back in ID 101 over here!

[lineswetrace]

New Post! Designed some chairs with vintage school house vibe.

[lineswetrace]

New Post has been published on http://www.lineswetrace.com/back-to-school-vintage-inspired-chair-design/

Back to School: Vintage Inspired Chair Design

I had a difficult time sourcing the exact style of chairs I wanted to use on a cafe/restaurant project I was working on recently. The client wanted something with a vintage school-chair flare.

Problem #1: Unless you want classical Chinese or Art Deco style furniture, it’s nearly impossible to find real vintage pieces in Shanghai. I happen to love Art Deco, so I can definitely get side tracked when furniture shopping and get all Deco-crazy. But Art Deco can be heavy and dark, so it doesn’t work for every project. I needed something simple, light and modern with a bit of playfulness… I needed something mid-century inspired.

The Cultural Revolution, during which China closed itself off from the rest of the world yet again, can be thanked for the lack of cool mid-century design influence. You might stumble upon a couple one-off pieces, but such occasions are rare. Plus these pieces would probably be expensive due to the fact they were imported. Here’s a cool find from my recent trip to an antique market in Shanghai. It could find a good home in a residential project, but quantity of one just wasn’t going to cut it for this cafe.

Problem #2: finding a new piece that combines nice style with good quality that isn’t a knock-off of a “famous” design. The amount of Barcelona Chairs and Dixon’s lights in Shanghai is unreal. It’s sad because I like most of these designs, but I see them so often, they’ve really lost their gusto for me.

The Solution: The good thing about China is that getting things custom-made doesn’t blow the budget. So I decided the only way to get what I wanted in this situation was to get it made. Taking inspiration from several mid-century metal and wood school-chairs’ precedent images (found on pinterest), I designed my first dining chair.

I had to go out to the middle-of-nowhere-Shanghai to visit the furniture workshop/factory, which was an experience in itself. The workshop made several rounds (three to be exact) of mock-ups for me and we finally got it right. It was fun to get off the computer and manipulate a real piece; just get in there and mark them up and testing the comfort.

The third round was a winner! I am quite happy with the result and it was worth the extra effort. It’s definitely a design I will use again. The original idea was to have a mix of colors for the seat and back, but as projects go, it was changed along the way. I still think these chairs would look great in vibrant colors. How cool would they look in a mint green or a bright coral? Till the next project!

[lineswetrace]

Beautiful lime masonry paneling work @ the blue mansion, Penang.

[lineswetrace]

I was a bit obsessed with all the amazing floor tiles in penang!

[lineswetrace]

Posted! http://www.lineswetrace.com/my-little-balinese-boat-wood-box/

My Little Balinese Boat Wood Box

I recently partook in a scavenger hunt that was held in the Former French Concession in Shanghai and was thrown by company I collaborate with frequently, GIGA (a professional network for green materials online). Not only was it a totally fun day biking around town with my team (Hot Like Neon) trying to convince people to let us make Lanzhou noodles, wash their hair, pose for a picture with their construction tools, and other random tasks, BUT we won! And I love winning.

Since this was a design and architecture event, the sponsors provided some pretty cool prizes. As first prize winner, I’m now the proud owner of my first (real) Moleskin notebook (although I really wish it was the sketch version and not the note version). I had also won a side table crafted by Imondi Flooring which was made of reclaimed boat wood from Bali. That was to be delivered to my office at a later date.

I was greatly anticipating its arrival. I was imagining that a reclaimed table made from Balinese boat wood would look great with my upcycled filing cabinet coffee table in my 1930s Shanghai apartment. This would be right up my style ally.

I receive the side table (which was really more like a box) and as I was admiring the details of my newly acquired one-of-a-kind piece, a co-worker quickly shot down my excitement when she asked what was so special about Balinese boat wood and why they were using all their boats for furniture. Besides the fact that the wood is being upcycled from old boats, I didn’t know.

I did a little research and I didn’t find much information on why there is an abundance of old boats in Bali for this growing furniture market, but I did find out that these boats are called Jukung. Jukung were originally fishing boats, and now with the growing tourism in Bali, they double as tour boats. These jukung are a reflection of the fisherman himself, down to the dimensions, shape, and color. The wood for these boats comes from the local Belalu or Camplung tree and the Balinese follow a strict calendar on when the trees can be cut down and used. The Balinese strongly believe in harmony between the physical and spiritual world, so the construction of the boat is similar to a religious ceremony for these fisherman.

From a tree in a Balinese forest, to a fisherman’s sacred vessel, to someone’s scrap wood, to a table sitting in my living room; this little box has quite a bit of history. And now I’ve officially regained my excitement for it.

Bonus Pic: Estella and her expanding curiosity about the (small) world around her.

[lineswetrace]

Color Testing

[lineswetrace]

Browsing some markets... wish I had a project that could use these light fixtures.

[lineswetrace]

Restaurant project almost done! And yes that's paint on my pants.

[lineswetrace]

New post: Passive is Sexy (A written, sketched, and video explanation of passive design.)